UCLA - Mississippi Valley State Preview

West- Round One
UCLA Bruins (1) Vs. Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils (16)
Thursday, March 20 @ 9:55 pm
Betting Line From Bookmaker: UCLA -32

They’re rated number two nationally and are the first seed in the West. The UCLA Bruins (16- 2 PAC-10, 31- 3 overall), who lost to USC, Texas and Washington, are once again on the cusp of their 12th national title. The team has fine starters and great depth. The depth was shown by how the Bruins weathered numerous injuries to major players.

Freshman center Kevin Love (17.1 PPG, 10.6 RPG, 1.1 BPG. 0.7 SPG) is a first-class player, ably shifting from offense to defense, playing the boards and even hitting threes. He’s transformed this team. Junior guard Darren Collison (15.2 PPG, 3.9 APG, .506 3PT%) plays the backcourt with aplomb. Junior forward Luc Richard Mbah a Moute (8.8 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 1 SPG) is a commanding presence under the boards.

The Delta Devils of Mississippi Valley State (12- 6 SWAC, 17- 15 overall) had a tough season that included a 21- 76 loss to Washington State. As of mid-February, they possessed a 6- 6 conference record. Then they turned on the jets. The Delta Devils haven’t lost a game since February 16. Last week, they won the SWAC Tournament title by beating defending champions Jackson State by one point.

One plus for this team is the fact that they had the conference’s best perimeter defense. Six-foot, ten-inch center Larry Cox (12.4 PPG, 8 RPG, 2.3 BPG) is a tough defender and solid inside shooter. Forward Carl Lucas (12.7 PPG, 5.5 RPG) has a great vertical jump that he uses to snatch rebounds and loft shots. His three-point accuracy is 42%. Guard Stanford Speech (10.8 PPG, 2.6 APG, .356 3-PT%, 3.8 RPG, 1.3 SPG), a very streaky shooter, is the emotional leader of the team.

If Mississippi Valley State beats UCLA, it will be the upset of all upsets. Then again, that’s why they play the game. Best bet looks to be the under. Although it is low, hard to imagine Miss Valley State getting more than 40 points in this one.

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